Sunrise
by Sailorcelestial
Summary: It all began with an assumption...


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Authors Notes: This is just a cute little citrus-y one shot that I got the idea for while reading an online Inuyasha doujinshi titled "The Hero in the 21st century." It's really, REALLY good. The doujinshi that is. I've completely fallen in love with it. This isn't actually based on Hero21, but I did get the idea for it from the prologue. If anyone wants to read Hero21 (and you should), the url is: . Also, as it turns out, this fic will be a sort of prequel to a multi I've begun titled Inuyasha: Birthright. 

And remember: When you ASSUME, you make an ASS of U and ME. ::grins::

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Thankies: Oi! Tensei-chan is writing her first citrus! ::huggles:: I'm so proud! Fuuzaki-chan, you're being so good, not letting me send you new stuff for wanting to read it with everyone else. Hehe. Moon Faery-chan for pointing out a gross error in HPatTnH 10 that I will not repeat here and for giving me an idea of where to go with chapter 11! Whee!! Pleiades-sama for being the best (if the slowest ;o) beta reader ever! 

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Disclaimers: Oh woe is me! Inuyasha belongs to the lovely and talented Takahashi Rumiko-sama, not to little ole lonely me. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY SHAKESPEARE! ::sniffles:: Oh yeah, there's some language, but any true Inuyasha fan will be used to that. ::grin::

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WARNING: Sap ahead. Sticky, gooey stuff. 

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Inuyasha: Sunrise

It all began with an assumption, the assumption being that one or both of them would die. Such a situation calls for a person to say and do things they normally wouldn't. However, as they say, one should never assume. 

That wise saying came to mind a little too late for Inuyasha of the Inu Youkai as he sat on a hill overlooking his village- yes, HIS village- wondering how he'd managed to find himself in this precarious emotional position. Things certainly had not gone as expected. Inuyasha sighed. Why wasn't he dead? He was supposed to be dead, dammit. After all, Naraku was gone, destroyed. And fucking hell, this was supposed to be the end. At some point, in the back of his mind, Inuyasha had come to expect to die bringing down that asshole. Then, right before that final battle, the thought had sprung from the blackness in the back of his mind and struck him right between his two golden eyes. 

One of them would die. 

As Inuyasha huddled in the circle with his friends and Kagome, he looked into each of their eyes and knew, just knew, that one of them would not survive this confrontation. Miroku stood ready with staff, Air Rip, and stony expression. Sango had both of her masks in place, the one that protected her from poison gasses and the one that protected her from poison words. Shippou trembled with fear that he might die at such a young age, but still clutched his kitsune toys and glared determinedly at anyone who dared suggest he sit the battle out. Kagome, eyes bright with fear for her friends, sat quietly with her bow and quiver of arrows. Yes, Inuyasha thought to himself at that moment, one of these people would die in the next few minutes. Experience had taught him, and his assumption fed the idea, that it would most likely be either himself, as the leader-by-default of this motley group, or Kagome, as the woman he loved. Though, of course, he hadn't told her that. 

That's when he went momentarily insane.

The pain of his constricting chest caught his full attention. After a moment, Inuyasha realized the pain came from the notion that he or Kagome would die without her knowing how he felt. In a perfect world he would have time to think about what he wanted to say in the moment he finally told her, but this most certainly was not a perfect world. So, damn it all to hell, he did the only thing he could think of and the only thing he had time for. 

"Kagome," he turned to her, aware of the eyes of Miroku, Sango, and Shippou. She returned his look, dark eyes heavy and curious. Inuyasha took her hands in his and took a deep breath. 

"What is it?" She tilted her head ever so slightly to the side. 

"Well, I-I . . . wanted to . . . Kagome, I . . ."

"Inuyasha, we can't waste any time. Naraku-"

"Would you shut up already?!? I'm trying to tell you I love you and you're screwing it all up!"

She blinked. Inuyasha felt, to his eternal humiliation, the heat of a blush spreading along his cheeks. His hands still held hers, but he had no intention of letting them go until he finished what he'd started. He cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and opened them only when he was ready to speak again.

"I love you, Kagome. I-I'm not real good at saying stuff. But I . . . I want you to know that when you were afraid I was following Kikyou because I still loved her, I was following her out of obligation, not love. And . . . Kagome, she wanted me to be human! She couldn't think of being with me any other way. You care for me as a hanyou, the way I am. She was human, and she was weak. She knew she could never show her humanity because of that weakness. She taught me to care for it." Next came the kicker, the real thing, the point of his declaration. "But you, Kagome you showed me human strength and how to respect that. And how to love it, and you. I'll always love you, no matter what happens today."

The words ran out, and Inuyasha found himself standing with Kagome's hands in his, and four silent people staring at him. He cleared his throat a second time.

"Okay, well, that's all I had to say."

He began to release her hands and turn away, but her fingers tightened, keeping his hostage. Inuyasha lifted his eyes to hers and saw a deep well of human emotion, a well he now knew and understood as intimately as he knew the Bone-Eater's well. She smiled up and him and squeezed his hands again. 

"I love you too, Inuyasha. Forever."

It wasn't much. It wasn't the speech he'd made- thank all the gods above and the demons below- but it was enough. If the situation had been different, he would have swept her up into his arms right then and there and run off into the forest to do naughty things. She wouldn't have minded, not then. At least he hoped she wouldn't have. 

The situation, however, had not been different and he did not sweep her into his arms and run off into the forest to do naughty things. Damn. Somehow he regretted that now. 

Instead, the group of them had gone off into battle. In all complete honesty, Inuyasha- who normally had a perfect battle memory- couldn't remember a single detail. All he knew was their plan to use all of their special attacks- Tetsusaiga, Miroku's spiritual powers, Sango's boomerang, Shippou's illusion and Kagome's arrows- simultaneously must have worked. Naraku was dead. Inuyasha wasn't. Kagome wasn't. Sango, unfortunately, was. Inuyasha's intuition had been correct but his interpretation incorrect. 

Hours later, the sun still hung low in the sky, giving off enough light that it could still be considered late afternoon. Another hour or so would find the day sunk into evening and even another hour would welcome blissful night. Then, eight or nine hours later, with the rising of the sun, Inuyasha's personal dilemma would be over. 

Gods damn it all to fucking hell, how could he have done something so fucking stupid? Feh.

The grass rustled behind him in the familiar pattern of Miroku's monk robes and staff. Inuyasha stayed put, arms crossed, and said nothing as the young monk sat down beside him. Though, through the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw the shadow of grief that lined Miroku's face. The monk lifted his right hand, free of protective trappings, and the expression he wore was one Inuyasha recognized only too easily. It was the expression of someone wondering if the rewards gained were worth the cost. 

"You'll get over it." Bah, why did he always have to try to assuage the hurts of others? His selfless nature got in the way so often. People just didn't understand, and apparently neither did Miroku for the glance he shot Inuyasha did not seem like one of gratitude. Then the monk sighed, lowered his hand, and looked towards the village. 

"When are you going to tell her the truth?"

Damn. 

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. She deserves to know exactly what happened." Miroku gave a small smile. "As a monk, I know much about the ways of the more civilized youkai. The Inu Youkai are indeed civilized. They still have a stronghold to the North, you know. I sat with them on many occasions, learning their ways." 

Inuyasha stared straight ahead into the sky and swallowed heavily. 

"I know what you're thinking, Inuyasha."

"No you don't."

"You're thinking that you can just let the night pass without telling her and it will all be over tomorrow morning. She never has to know and one day you can do it again when she's ready."

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. 

"You're probably right," Miroku continued, "she's probably not ready for it to be tonight. But if you love her, and I know you do, then you know that she deserves to know the truth. You should tell her, if only to be honest with her."

When Inuyasha didn't answer, Miroku smiled and rose, patting the hanyou on the shoulder before walking away. Inuyasha made sure the sounds of the monk's footsteps were well away before growling to himself and sighing. Shit. Of all the times for the idiot monk to be right, it had to be about this. But he was right. Growling again, Inuyasha stood and ran to the village. He ran because he wasn't sure how long he could retain the conviction to tell her. The faster he ran and got to her, the faster he could get it over with.

He found her setting the newly complete Shikon no Tama into the old place where it used to hang before the mess fifty years ago. He saw the faint glow of power around her hands and new that she had placed a warding shield around the jewel like Kaede-babaa had taught her. She smiled at it and turned, seeing him for the first time. Kagome blinked, but other than that did not act surprised. Inuyasha supposed that after all their travelling he could do little to surprise her. Well, he was sure what he was going to tell her would surprise her. 

"Inuyasha," she said, and the dreamy lilt in her voice told him that she expected things to be all romantic and gooey from then on. Actually, he wouldn't mind a little romance and gooeyness, with Kagome anyway. But first things first.

"Uh, Kagome, I have to talk to you. About . . . about something." He held out a hand to her and she took it without hesitation. It was Inuyasha who hesitated, remembering a time and a place when no one would have held his hand, and everyone cringed from him. Though admitting it would be hard, he liked this new life where no one looked on him as a monster. Not long ago he'd finally realized that part of the reason new people he met treated him like a monster was because he'd been acting like one. So he did his best, especially around Kagome, to act less like a monster and more like someone deserving of her respect and love. 

Well, most of the time anyway.

He took her onto his back, in the old and comfortable position, and quickly took them back up the hill where there would be some privacy. There he let her down and they stood still for a good minute, watching the villagers rush faster and the sun sink lower. Finally Inuyasha knew he'd have to speak. 

"Um . . . it's about what we said. Earlier. You know, before."

"Oh." 

He heard the disappointment in her voice. She thought he was going to take it back. Say it was all in the heat of the moment. He looked over at her and saw the shine to her eyes that suggested tears. Oh hell, not tears. He hated tears. Tears did funny things to his chest and stomach. 

"Hey, hey don't cry! It's not what you think! Aw, hell, Kagome, don't cry, okay?!?" He watched her warily as she reigned in the wild cry-fest that had been forthcoming. When he became sure that she wouldn't break down, at least not from an unspoken misunderstanding, he continued. 

"I'm not going to take it back, I promise. I meant every word, and I'll mean every word tomorrow." Inuyasha took a deep breath as she smiled at him. "But there is something that . . . well . . . dammit, I though we were gonna die!"

"I know, so did I."

"No, no you don't understand." He breathed deeply, calming himself before continuing. "See, things are a little different with youkai, even the civilized youkai clans. They don't put as much stock in ceremony as humans do. The intention of something is enough to make it legal in the eyes of the youkai community."

He looked at her to see if she understood. The blankness reflected in her gaze answered him, and he knew he'd have to spell it out for her. Damn, damn, damn. 

"Um, in the Inu Youkai system, two people are . . . are married if they declare their love before valid witnesses." Now the sun dawned on her face, the light of understanding came into her eyes and she blushed, stepping away from him. 

"K-Kinda like what we d-did?"

"Uh, yeah. Monks and children are completely valid." 

"S-So we're married?"

"In the eyes of the Inu Youkai, yeah." Oh, but it only got better from there. "But, uh, there's something else." Her panicked eyes said 'not more!' but he trudged on, determined to tell the whole truth now that part of it was out. "The marriage isn't official u-unless . . . uh . . . well, the couple, you know . . . yeah. Um, unless they do that before sunrise the next morning."

Gods, he sounded like a fucking idiot. Sex. Just say it, idiot, sex. Unless they have sex. 

Kagome stepped even further away from him, nearly stumbling over her own clumsy feet. Her face was a complete crimson mask of shock and embarrassment. It was rather cute, actually. Then she opened her mouth and the harpy screech emerged. 

"WHAT?!? SIT!!"

And there came the dirt in his face. Lovely. Just the way he'd always imagined this moment. Really. He sighed and managed to keep perfectly still, hoping she would get bored with him and not feed on his lifeless corpse. No such luck. 

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT?!? IDIOT!!!"

"LET ME FINISH!!" Without the luck of her leaving, good form required that he go head to head with her in this shouting match. Now, would she concede and let him finish, or insist on going extra rounds? Surprisingly enough, she conceded. Kagome stood back, crossed her arms, and glared at him. 

"I didn't tell you because there wasn't time and I thought one or both of us would die so we wouldn't be dealing with this!! But . . . anyway, with that sunrise rule, all we have to do is wait until sunrise tomorrow and the marriage will be annulled. It's that simple, and it wasn't worth a 'sit'!" He huffed. "Then we can wait until you're ready and do it again. Um, that is if you want to."

Her face turned red again, but something about the glint in her eyes made him think that this flush wasn't embarrassment but anger. 

"What makes you think I'm not ready now?" Oh, he was right, she WAS angry. Wow, either she was getting easier to read or he had just come to know her well. "I am sixteen, after all. I'm not exactly a child anymore!"

A child? Oh, no, she wasn't a child, not by any stretch of his phenomenal imagination. An imagination he'd used quite often when thinking of her. And along came the urge to sweep her into his arms and run off into the forest to do naughty things. To sweep or not to sweep? That was the all-consuming question. 

But hell, there was that buried shine deep in her eyes, the light of fear she'd learned to hide and he'd learned to find. He knew she hated to be thought of weak and fearful, some sort of attitude problem that seemed to affect most of the women of her time. She wanted to take care of herself so much, but he knew that sometimes she just needed protecting, period. And sometimes, like now, she needed protecting from her own desire to be strong. 

Inuyasha stepped close to her.

"You're ready, then?" He placed a hand in the curve just above her hip, where it seemed to fit smoothly like a key into a lock. He heard her gasp. "Are you really ready?" He knew the answer, he just had to show it to her. Shit. Damn that it had to be like this. But her closeness and smell were making his head spin and he knew that it had to be like this or else things would go terribly, awfully wrong. The Inu Youkai in him surged forward and he growled, suddenly gripping her tightly against him. This time her exclamation was more like a muffled scream. 

"I-Inuyasha!"

"I thought you said you were ready, Kagome." His other hand gripped the hair at the back of her head and jerked her forward to crush her lips to his. His kiss was an invasion, rough and purposeful in its roughness. He wanted her to see how it would be with him, to know she wasn't ready yet. She remained a ridged pole against him and he went further, taking the hand at her waist upwards, slipping it beneath her loose shirt. She finally began to struggle. Despite how badly he wanted to hold her still, Inuyasha released her and stepped away, as breathless as she. He repeated his demand. "I thought you said you aren't a child. I thought you said you were ready."

The slap stung. For a moment Inuyasha thought his eyeball would pop, then the pain settled into a steady throb.

"Not for this, not like that!!" She screamed the words at him, and her eyes were hysterical, tears bubbling and roiling over the edges, slipping down her cheeks. She sobbed, openly and brokenly. Inuyasha felt his heart constrict, but set his jaw and did not try to console her. "SIT!!!! SIT, SIT, SIT!!!!"

The first sight Inuyasha saw when he lifted his face from the dirt was Kagome's legs as she ran from his as fast as they would take her. Damn. Shit. That went exactly as he'd planned. Shit. Not the best way to get into his lady love's best graces, but better to have her angry and a virgin than ruined and miserable. 

Hell, when did he become so damn conscientious? 

Inuyasha sighed and sat up, crossing his arms. Down in the village he spotted Kagome crashing into Kaede's hut. Through the window he saw her sobbing on the old woman's shoulder, no doubt telling the old bat exactly how he'd tried to rape her. Women. They never understood when something was for the best. 

Though damn if he didn't wish it could have been different. And damn his head hurt!!! When would that woman learn to solve her problems in more constructive ways than 'sit'?? 

As the sun finally ducked below the horizon, dragging the reds and oranges on sunset behind it, Inuyasha stood and went to his tree. Ah, his tree. He loved this tree like an old piece of furniture one refuses to give away despite how ratty it becomes. He lowered into a crouch and sprang up into his branch, the one that curved to his form like said piece of furniture. Within the comforting bend Inuyasha could relax and release the stresses of the day; Naraku, his new and soon to end marriage, Kagome all slid away into comfort. Inuyasha felt like hugging that grand old tree. Instead, he fell asleep. 

An approaching sound woke him. His eyes opened slightly, seeing by the amount of light that several hours had passed and it was well into the night. He didn't move, soaking up the identity of the person by sound alone. Soft, tentative footsteps. Calm breathing, quiet, almost beyond even his powerful ears. Kagome. And she wasn't scared or upset. 

"Inuyasha?"

He moved to show her where he was. She moved closer to the tree, slowly as her human heritage made the night darker than it was for him. She was so vulnerable, and remained so badly determined to suppress that vulnerability. Despite his urge to jump down to her and save her the fumbling, Inuyasha remained put on his branch. 

"Inuyasha, I need to talk to you."

Oh boy, famous last words.

"Yeah?"

She finally made it to the base of the tree and stopped, setting a hand on the bark. She turned her face up to him and in the moonlight the sight robbed him of breath. 

"Would you please come down here before I have to make you?"

Grrr. He contemplated staying put just to annoy her, but the residual pounding in his head finally forced him to lower himself down next to her. He kept a distance away, however, both for his own sake and hers. 

"What?"

"You scared me earlier, Inuyasha." At least she got right to the point. "But I understand now what you were trying to do, and I appreciate it." She took the opportunity to move closer to him. Inuyasha stood perfectly still, trying to pretend he didn't smell that intoxicating Kagome-smell or see the pale glow of her bare legs in the moonlight. Gods, why did she have to wear those short skirts? Did she even realize what that did to him? And most men on the planet? Most sane men, anyway.

"I'm glad you understand." He mentally applauded himself for keeping his voice level and crack-free. Then the damn woman went and challenged his will head on by stepping close enough to hold his hand without their arms being taut. 

"But you're wrong. I thought a lot about what you did and why, and about this marriage. I'm ready. I'm really ready, not just trying to prove that I'm not a child." 

Inuyasha realized that between their two hands rested something hard, circular, and cold. He clutched it and pulled his hand from hers, releasing his fingers to look at what he held. It was a ring, simple a gold. The band was thick, not something most women would wear. He looked up at her, but she answered his question before he could ask. 

"It was my father's wedding ring. I don't know what people exchange in this time, or youkai, or even if they exchange wedding tokens, but in my time when two people get married, part of the ceremony is the exchange of rings. The bride and groom exchange rings to symbolize their never-ending love and the strength of their commitment." Inuyasha lifted his eyes to see her staring at the ring. Her father's ring. He realized he didn't know what had happened to her father. The man just wasn't there. "I want you to wear it as my wedding gift to you." Kagome looked up at him then and smiled, and the impact of her gift struck him like Kikyou's arrow, though sweeter. 

"I . . . thank you, Kagome."

She merely kept that beloved smile and took the ring from him, taking his left hand into hers. She slipped it onto his finger and it slid on easily as though her father had anticipated this and had the ring adjusted accordingly. 

"I'm yours, Inuyasha. I'm your wife, willingly, with all my heart."

"I . . . don't have a ring to give to you. I don't have anything to give to you." The absence of a gift as moving as hers made him embarrassed as he'd never been, and Inuyasha nearly fled. But she stepped into his arms and kissed his cheek. 

"I don't need one."

As her lips found his in a kiss so gentle he knew he'd never feel another one quite like it, Kagome's hands slipped beneath his gi, sliding the material over his arms. Sixteen and a virgin, his new wife revealed no unease at undressing him in the open eyes of nature. Beneath the white eye of the moon she coaxed him into responding by caressing the bare skin of his chest and arms. He forgot how innocent she was and finally, after a year of lusting after her and loving her, Inuyasha let go and grasped her tightly, thought this time she melted into him. Perhaps because through his urgency he managed to remain gentle. 

They undressed each other in slow strokes, and under guard by the old tree and all the denizens of the peaceful night they made their marriage genuine. Neither noticed when sunrise came.

End Sunrise.


End file.
